Iowa State University Extension
You've
read about rollover protective structures, or ROPS, for tractors.
Maybe this year you'll build one for your old Farmall H.
Don't
even consider making your own ROPS.
All
ROPS must be crush-tested, a procedure that is extensive and
destroys the structure itself. The tests determine if the
protection zone around the operator station remains intact
in an overturn. Without these tests, you do not know if the
homemade structure will protect you during a tractor overturn.
The structure gives you a false security, an attitude that
may be more dangerous than an attitude that you have no safeguards.
Bars
attached to the tractor axle, sun shades, or other devices
cannot substitute for a dynamically-tested ROPS.
Many
tractors manufactured before 1985 may be retrofitted with
ROPS. Check with a local implement dealer for more information
about retrofitting ROPS. The County Extension office also
has a book compiled by the Marshfield Clinic that lists manufacturers,
models and approximate costs.
Retrofitting
can pose a difficult decision because its cost for an older
tractor can exceed the machine's actual value. However, a
homemade ROPS can cost you in other ways.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent
NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission
of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This
news release was distributed by Iowa State University Extension
as part of the Safe Farm program. Safe Farm promotes health
and safety in agriculture. It is funded by the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health, Iowa State University, and
a network of groups that serve Iowa farm workers and their families.
Distribution date: April 1992.
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